Myra Bryce Richardson
Myra Bryce Richardson, one of two daughters of Joseph and Lucille (Douglan) Bryce, was born in New York City on November 19, 1933. Myra grew up in the village of Harlem where she attended kindergarten at P.S. 10, junior high at P.S. 86 (Stitt), and finally, graduated from Washington Irving High School. Myra was a precocious child, active in school groups, and an accomplished high school pianist. She was also an active member of the Ephesus 7th-Day Adventist Church in Harlem where she sang in the church choir.
Myra went on to study at Oakwood College in Alabama, and then nursing school at Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital in Hinsdale, Illinois (with her long-time friend Norma Hazell). In 1955, after graduating from Hinsdale, Myra moved further west to Los Angeles to work at White Memorial Hospital. She stayed on at “White” for three years, and then moved back to New York in 1958.
Soon after returning to New York, Myra was introduced to her future husband, Ed Richardson, by her sister Carmen. Myra and Ed were married in April of 1960, and remained united until Ed passed away in November of 2007 from complications associated with cancer. Myra and Ed’s first child, Edwin Joseph was born in July of 1961. Their second son, Tony, was born in October of 1963, and their third son, Stephen, was born in October of 1965. During this time Myra began work as a camp nurse at Vacation Camp for the Blind in Pomona, New York - a position in which she would remain for 17 years.
After moving out of New York City with her family to the small hamlet of Palisades, Myra continued to pursue her academic goals. She returned to school and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rutgers School of Nursing in 1976, and went on to receive her Masters in Public Health from the Columbia University School of Public Health in 1978. After graduating from Columbia, Myra developed an extensive resume, working primarily in positions of community health and education. Myra also taught public health nursing for several years at Columbia University
Myra was a member (along with her husband) of Berea 7thday Adventist Church in Nyack for over 30 years.
Myra is survived by her three sons, her sister Carmen Hodge, and her nephew Greg Hodge.